A page from a red-letter edition King James Bible
Red letter edition bibles are those in which the words considered as being spoken by
Jesus Christ are printed in red ink.
History
The inspiration for rubricating the words of Jesus comes from
Luke 22:20: "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which I shed for you." On 19 June 1899,
Louis Klopsch
Louis Klopsch (March 7, 1852 – March 6, 1910) was a German-American journalist, publisher, and fundraiser for charitable causes. He originated red letter editions of the Bible.
Early life
Louis Klopsch was born in Lübben, Prussia on March 7 ...
, then editor of ''
The Christian Herald
The ''Christian Herald'' was an American weekly newspaper reporting on topics relevant to Evangelical Christianity, with an emphasis on engaging with humanitarian causes at home and abroad. It was inspired by the London-based newspaper which cease ...
'' magazine, conceived the idea while working on an editorial. Klopsch asked his mentor
Rev. Thomas De Witt Talmage what he thought of a New Testament with the words of Jesus rubricated and Dr. Talmage replied, "It could do no harm and it most certainly could do much good."
Klopsch published the first modern red letter edition New Testament later in 1899. The first modern, fully rubricated bible was published in 1901.
The rubricated bible instantly became popular, and is sometimes favored by
Protestant Christians in the United States. Especially in
King James Version editions, this format is useful because
quotation marks are absent.
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Qualifications
Because the original texts of the Bible do not have quotation marks, which words exactly are of Jesus has been interpreted, as opposed to explanatory text that follows them. For example, a footnote in the New International Version
The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...
for John, 3:21 explains that "Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 15."[HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society.]
See also
* Red-Letter Christians
Red-Letter Christians constitute a non-denominational movement within Christianity. "Red-Letter" refers to New Testament verses and parts of verses printed in Red letter edition, red ink, to indicate the words attributed to Jesus without the use ...
* BRG Bible
References
{{Reflist
Further reading
*''The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : (Authorized Version) with all the words recorded therein, as having been spoken by our Lord, printed in color.'', New York : Christian Herald, Louis Klopsch, Proprietor : Bible House, 1903, ©1899.
* ''Life-work of Louis Klopsch : romance of a modern knight of mercy'', Charles M Pepper, New York : Christian herald, 1910.
Bible versions and translations
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